More fun than any tribute album has a right to be, Stoned Immaculate is clearly a labor of love that manages to embrace the spirit of the Doors without regressing into parading a line of Jim Morrison impersonators through the studio. Much credit goes to producer Ralph Sall, who--in addition to setting up collaborations between the surviving Doors and an array of artists from John Lee Hooker to Days of the New--also breaks out the beats and samples to create a few "new" Doors tracks. While Sall is no Fatboy Slim (despite the winking nod to "Bird of Prey" during the fadeout of "Under Waterfall"), his reconstructions add texture and variety, especially when the late William Burroughs steps up to the mic. But the true highlights here are the more organic collaborations: the three remaining Doors backing Bo Diddley and Ian Astbury; an unexpectedly great "Love Me Two Times" from Aerosmith; and Stone Temple Pilots helping Kreiger and Manzarek "Break on Through" even harder on a track that threatens to transcend the original. Hell, even the weaker contributions beat out Jose Feliciano. Come to think of it, if the Doors are still auditioning Morrison replacements (Kevin Coyne and Howard Werth no longer being available), STP's Weiland, Creed's Stapp, or the Cult's Astbury all acquit themselves well enough here to warrant an offer. -- Bill Forman

The Doors remain one of the most influential bands of all time and so it seems fitting that big names like Creed, Stone Temple Pilots and Aerosmith would pay them tribute, and they do it with flare and gusto. The album is a great exhibit of the theater, poetry and sound The Doors brought to rock music. Yet, this album could have been much more. First let's look at the performances. Stone Temple Pilots open the album with a stylish, energetic "Break On Through" that serves as great modernization of the song but also a loving homage to the original. One of the band's stellar tracks (especially when you look at their recent material). Creed follows with another masterful cut, their "Riders On The Storm" pulses and builds, it is a perfect hybrid of the Creed sound and Doors spirit. Robby Krieger here adds a great slide guitar solo. Train kills the mood with a horrible "Light My Fire" that totally loses the timeless essence of the original and makes the lame assumption it is nothing more than a hippie tune. Smash Mouth delivers a fun "Peace Frog" that keeps the spirit of the original with a little modern fusion of what one can see as hip-hop and semi-Punk feels. Days Of The New also delivers with an exhilarating, edgy "L.A. Woman" (eventhough I would have preferred Iggy Pop here considering he was the original rumored name for this song). Aerosmith burns and grinds with an awesome "Love Me Two Times" that stands as the best cover of this song ever performed. The Cult proves to be a metal band of great magnitude with "Wild Child," a burning cover that retains the tribal feel of the original. Ian Astbury delivers one of the best vocals on the record. Some have given a bad look towards the combination of John Lee Hooker's vocals with Jim Morrison's for "Roadhouse Blues," this is not a bad track though. It's a great blues jam with the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea on bass. William S. Burroughs delivers his last recording here, the grandfather of Punk reads a loving homage to Morrison in the form of his poetry. Oleander (whatever happened to them?) gives a not so-great "Hello I Love You" (U2 would have been perfect here). Ian Astbury of The Cult performes an unwanted "Touch Me" while Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction and Exene Cervenka of X read some more Morrison poetry (why not sing a duet?) while Bo Diddley presents a rather boring "Love Her Madly." Days Of The New finish with a rather fresh, alsmost hypnotic "The End." It seems that the first half of the album works while the second feels lazier. Oh, the Burroughs track is great and "The End" rocks, but do we honestly want "Touch Me?" Why not "People Are Strange," "The Crystal Ship" or "When The Music's Over?" Even a Blondie "Moonlight Drive" would be welcome. "Five To One" was recorded by Marilyn Manson but was kept to be used a B-side for his "Holy Wood" album (great track too). "Under Waterfall" and "The Cosmic Movie," remixes of Doors samples are interesting, but not as interesting as it would have been to see maybe U2 or Pearl Jam deliver a track. If one looks at the current Ramones tribute album, one sees what this one was missing: More bands performing. Hell, where's Jim Carroll? Iggy Pop is sorely missed as well as all of X and Jane's Addiction, or the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Garbage could've done a track. The plain truth is, a fanatic Doors fan like myself expects more from people who supposedly want to keep Jim Morrison's legacy alive (is Bo Diddley really the best way to introduce "Love Her Madly" to a new audience?). I say a re-make is needed, Danny Sugerman and Ray Manazarek, the most feverent keepers of the flame, should've thought of more to add. Reportedly, a new Doors album is in the works, let's hope some of the mentioned abscentees can make it.

"Stoned Immaculate" is a two-edged deal, here we have an enjoyable tribute album featuring some great bands performing Doors classics, a lot of the covers are great to listen to. However, we also get the idea that this could have been so much more. First, the songs. Stone Temple Pilots deliver a fresh, energetic rendition of "Break On Through" that comes out as exhilarating. Scott Weiland's vocals feel real and not like an imitation, Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger join in to add some keyboard and guitar touches. "Riders On The Storm" by Creed remains the album's best cut, here the band creates a great hybrid of their sound and The Doors'. Scott Stapp delivers a heart-felt performance that has a rough edge, Robby Krieger adds a great slide guitar solo that gives the track a unique flavor. The following track, Train's "Light My Fire," is a poor disappointment. It fails to capture the original's essence in sound and vocals, we get a dry, flat track. I was surprised to see Train on MTV's Icon tribute to Aerosmith and see them deliver a truly great cover of "Dream On" and then go back to their track here and find myself listening to a completely different band. Smash Mouth's cover of "Peace Frog" is one of the more fun tracks here, the sound is cool and Californian and keeps the spirit of the original. Days Of The New deliver an exhilarating "L.A. Woman," Travis Meeks delivers a raw performance that, like Creed, makes the cover sound original and not like a retread. One of the album's gems is "Love Me Two Times" by Aerosmith, after listening to this track, it is hard to imagine any other band covering it. It is fitting to hear Steven Tyler deliver a Lizard King homage, he after all is another rock star known for glorious excess. The track rocks hard and keeps a classic blues sound all around with Tyler performing some great harmonica work. The Cult more than delivers with "Wild Child," an exhilarating, thundering rendition that keeps the tribal feel of the original. Ian Astbury delivers one of the album's great vocals while guitarist Billy Duffy burns through with his licks, a great example of The Doors' impact on the metal movement. "Roadhouse Blues" with John Lee Hooker's vocals combined with Morrison's is more meaningful to listen to now considering Hooker's recent passing. It's a great track featuring the Red Hot Chilli Peppers' Flea on bass. William S. Burroughs steps up and recites some Morrison poetry in "Is Everybody In?" It's a dark, fitting homage to the poetic side of the icon. Oleander deliver a raunchy "Hello I Love You" while Astbury returns for a somewhat okay cover of "Touch Me" (one of the band's worst songs). Bo Diddley delivers a classic blues number with "Love Her Madly," it's a neat track that provides a soulful feel. All this good music and yet the album leaves us with the disappointment that there could have been more. The Doors are one of the most influental bands ever, probably the most influential of all American bands. Yet one is disappointed to find here tracks dedicated to "re-mixing" Doors sounds as in "Under Waterfall" and "The Cosmic Movie." These are interesting tracks to listen to, but you also wish they would have put a cover of "People Are Strange" or "The Crystal Ship" instead. Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction and Exene of X step up to deliver "Children Of Night," which feels undeeded considering these two artists could have instead PERFORMED an actual SONG. When one looks at the work being put into the upcoming Ramones tribute album, which features nothing but performance tracks, one looks at "Stoned Immaculate" and asks, where's U2, Billy Idol and Iggy Pop (Marilyn Manson did do "Five To One" but liked it so much he kept it according to Danny Sugerman)? Why do "Touch Me" when you could do "Soul Kitchen" or "Not To Touch The Earth?" As bad as the Gothic tribute was, it was at least an homage to the songs. In the end "Stoned Immaculate" can be a good listen, but when you look back at the influence, impact and sound of The Doors, you realize they deserve a little more.

In a cover CD, the musicians should to some extent preserve the basic texture of the songs. Forget fully punkified or fully disco Doors, or electronic boredom or totally altered feel. Yes to imagination and originality, improvisation and interpretation, perhaps somewhat altered structures, and of course spirited performance. On Stoned Immaculate, this is accomplished. However, about one-third of the CD features remixes of studio session music, much with Jim Morrison's singing and/or poetry or chants, and often overdubbed by recitations of Doors lyrics or poetry by other artists, and special effects. Following the "Roadhouse Rap" by Jim, none other than John Lee Hooker (Crawling King Snake, yes!) chants with real feeling as a terrific studio session rendition of "Roadhouse Blues" rolls and rocks. The effect is overwhelming. Jim's words and chants, Doors music in "Under Waterfall"--gorgeous. The Doors in "The Cosmic Movie," Jim speaking, background, oh, such a trip! Other tracks with William S. Burroughs, Perry Farrell, and Exene getting into the act. This stuff is excellent, and alone justifies getting this CD, but the overall very strong quality of the covers combines with that to make Stoned Immaculate a must.

Indeed, the little so-so cover material is far outweighed by the very good and excellent tracks. Bo Diddley does a terrific bluesy, and sort of soulful, version of "Love Her Madly," opening with a variation of the "Who Do You Love" riff. Aerosmith's "Love Me Two Times" is quite well known as a strong cover version of Robby Krieger's great hit, but there is much more, and many numbers have at least one surviving Door joining in. "Wild Child" and "Hello I Love You" both have heavier textures and more forcefulness than the originals. But Days of the New makes the strongest contributions among the cover groups. Its version of "L.A. Woman" is superb, very hard-driving and with fabulous singing by Travis Meeks, as well as original ideas. The group also performs the last track, fittingly, "The End," the strongest cover of all, and most original. Robby Krieger and John Densmore are among the musicians. With Robby's and the other guitar sounding more eerie and sitar-like and Ron Wagner's tablas, this track has compelling atmosphere, subtly preserving and magnificently embellishing the original. Just what one is looking for. It's all cosmic--The Doors, Jim Morrison, and so many in their orbit, in words and music, past and present.

A smokin' tribute album, but even more IMHO...I bought it just to see what the "new breed" was doing with these classic songs. ...I was floored to hear Scott Weiland fronting the original members with a new version of Break on Through, my first experience with the Doors some 30 years ago. A very trippy, psychedelic interpretation! Then Scott Stapp and Creed just tore up "Riders on the Storm" and created a new and wonderful hybrid-every bit as fresh as the original! Patrick Monahan did "Light My Fire" (albeit a shorter 3 minute version) with a bouncier beat to it. Just so tasty! Smashmouth interpreted Peace Frog with acceptable results, a good choice for the singer, I feel. Steven Tyler sang "Love me 2 Times" as though he was born to it... I guess he was, really. A little studio magic on the Doors/"Under Waterfall" with some spoken word samples and remixing-again, very bouncy and accessible with a Haight Ashbury feel to it. Tastey! Ian Astbury does "Wild Child" w/ Ray on keys. Again, a very powerful voice and a great interpretation. ...William Burroughs (who I was unfamiliar with heretofore) did a wonderful reading of Is Everybody In? with some studio mixing. Bo Diddley and the late John Lee Hooker also get a time up at bat...I've got to reserve my biggest praise for Travis Meeks and the now defunct (original line-up anyway) of Days of the New...Wow, what a voice and a feel this kid has! Just 19 and a powerhouse singer. He sang La Woman with the band and finished the album with The End (backed by the surviving members of the Doors. It's eerie and a little unsettling. He sings the song with similar angst as Jim, but with a modern proceeded to buy a copy of everything he's done, all 3 DotN CDs and the video). I'm a convert to Travis and his music and this compilation will be getting some serious rotation on my truck deck! The Lizard King lives!

Low expectations seem to the norm for tribute albums. The greatness of bands like The Doors virtually guarantees that those who would pay tribute are unworthy of doing so. And even when a few tracks do live up to the power of the original, the listener is forced to resort to the "skip" button for those that do not. Stoned Immaculate fits the mold: as a whole, it is not a great cd, but the few gems it contains are good enough to earn it four stars.

I first bought this cd after seeing a spot on VH1 about the making of it. Creed's track (Riders on the Storm) interested me, since I am fan of the band. However, after listening to the entire track a few times, I think Scott Stapp ultimately fails to evoke the emotion of the original. It is certainly not a bad rendition, but neither does it inspire me to listen to it repeatedly. STP and Oleander also contribute tracks that are interesting, but not amazing (Break on Through and Hello I Love You, respectively).

There is only one track that I feel is truly bad -- even while trying to ignore the greatness of the original, Train's cover of "Light My Fire" is terrible.

On the other hand, there were a number of solid tracks that bear repeated listening. Aerosmith takes their tribute to the Doors as an opportunity to record their strongest offering in over a decade (Love Me Two Times). Burroughs' reading (Is Everybody In?) is a pleasant surprise -- I was glad to hear the tribute album recognize the poetry of Morrison as well as the music of the Doors. Finally, Travis Meeks (of Days of the New) comes closest to actually recapturing the spirit of the Jim Morrison. At about 2:30 in his cover of "L.A. Woman" you can almost feel "mr. mojo rising," and his recording of "The End" is far and away the best listen on the entire cd. With its thirteen minutes of hallucinogenic lyrics and eerie sounds, "The End" is the quintessential Doors song: Meeks accepts its challenges and crafts a tribute song with a somewhat different sound but with the same haunting quality as the original.

I recommend this cd not as a whole, but as a source of a few very good single songs. If all tribute songs could accomplish what the gems on this album do, the reputation of tribute albums as a genre would be far higher

The four stars are for the obvious sincerity and respect with which Creed, STP, Ian Astbury and Travis Meeks imbue their respective tracks, regardless of interpretation.

Why Stoned Inaccurate? Because the vital element that is missing in this collection is exactly what made The Doors worthy of tribute three and a half decades after their debut: originality annexed to insight.

The idea that approximating the sound and trademark motifs of an artist is sufficient in appraising his/her worth is a flawed concept, and much in evidence here. The Doors at their inception did not seek to rework "Alabama Song" in the same chorale-driven setting as the original Bertolt Brecht opera, nor was their version of Willie Dixon's "Back Door Man" a clone of the original. The reverence accorded The Doors' work has wreaked havoc on two fronts: one, the creative, and two, the commercial. There is nothing wrong with tampering with soundbites of Morrison's poetry, since much of his delivery in concert was fragmented verse to begin with, but it deserves a sustained, dedicated effort, such as An American Prayer; not the choppy tease represented on Underwaterfall and The Cosmic Movie, enjoyable as they may be, momentarily. And Scott Stapp may have unintentionally done Jim Morrison a supreme disservice by so deliberately understating his "Riders On The Storm" delivery...he could have stamped an indelible aura of greatness to this piece, if he had revisited the Doors' original premise for the band, perhaps by interpolating some of the great unrecorded snatches of verse and rhythmic couplets Morrison wrote (Check "Wilderness" and "The American Night")into the body of the song; surely, Stapp's obvious connection to Morrison has more to it than the dark-haired baritone cliche. Travis Meeks from Days of the New really does have a gift for searing through the miasma of nostalgia and (almost) making these songs new again. His take on the songs, for me, comes closest to justifying the project.

As for Messrs. Manzarek, Krieger and Densmore: why, oh why do you huddle in the dried thicket of the talents of others...admit it, gentlemen, you love playing together and you still do it better than any pretenders to the throne...compose some new music, wed it to the more malleable selections of Jim's poetry, assemble a feast of credible friends (Jim Carroll, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, Bono on his days off from the U.N.) and record the great final album we know you still have in you, while there is yet time. No pressure, of course....

The Doors is a band who at their zenith emulated the chaotic and turbulent times of their generation(The Late Sixties) through music. Perhaps, what contributed to their fame and continue popularity is the mysticism and intensity of their songs. Songs such as Riders on the Storm, The End, and Break On Through provide a rich lyricism and haunting sound. Morrison, a musician of immense charisma and stage presence, carries the intense nature of each melody with his hypnotic voice. This is all of course achieved with the steady flow and harmony of guitarist Robby Krieger and keyboardist Ray Manzarek. These two musicians composed/wrote some of the most creative and original songs that have left an indefinite mark on the rock music scene.

Fast forward now to the year 2000-2001 where The Doors still have a major impact upon pop culture as well as the music scene. Sometimes if you listen carefully to U2 or Pearl Jam, you'll hear a hint of Morrison either in their lyrics or their tunes. What makes this band so infamous and worthy of a "tribute" album? Considering the fact that their music has lead to a cult following where little known tidbits such as the lyric MR. MOJO RISIN'=JIM MORRISON is definitely impressive. In addition, the song Light My Fire was hailed as one of the top 100 songs of the century, however it also banned The Doors from ever playing at the Ed Sullivan Show due to its pro-drug connotations, which Morrison disregarded in his live performance *hehe*.

Stoned Immaculate is both a success and disappointment. Overall, it is an impressive compilation of music that richly capture the essence of The Doors. Lead musicians and singers such as Bo Diddley and Aerosmith add an original interpretation of the songs. Contributions and performances from Krieger, Manzarek, & Densmore with alternating lead vocalist such as Scott Stapp from Creed add intensity to the songs, which at some brief points result in capturing its original essence and strength. However, one of the main problems with this album is the absence of Jim Morrison. This is NOT to say that the band is nothing without Morrison, but rotating various vocalists feels at some points as if you're at an audition for the lead singer...which would probably tie between Weiland and Stapp. Krieger and Manzarek are great musicians whose talents are often underrated. In technical skills they are not the overall best; creatively they provide the best. Strangely, what flaws this album is also what makes it irresistible. There are certain moments where the album does a nice tie-in such as "Is Everybody In?" with William S. Burroughs is awesome including Roadhouse Blues with Johnny Lee Hooker & Jim Morrison.

Overall, Stoned Immaculate is best appreciated as a compilation that gathers some of the best songs written during an ambiguous generation whose aftermath still resounds in the world today whether it be in films, politics, literature or rock bands. This is an album that pays tributes to the songs as a collective as well as to the man/vocalist who performed them. Don't get this album if you're hoping to find a brand new/different Doors, or another Jim Morrison...because as most die hard fans know: it's never going to happen.

Let me start off by saying I'm a huge Doors fan, so I knew I had to have this CD, but wasn't sure what to expect. The bands range from long term rockers like Aerosmith to mid-term rockers like STP to ones, I must admit, I've never heard of (Days of the New). In my view, the best cover songs are the ones that make you feel like your hearing a new song. The best at this was Elvis. Every song he sang he made his own, even if was an old standard. The Doors were able to pull this off every now and then, just listen to Gloria. As for this CD, the only one who really pulls it off is Aerosmith. Their version of Love Me Two Times rocks. Although I don't really like the Doors mixes on the CD, its always nice to hear Jim's voice again. One thing I hate about cover songs is when the band tries to copy the artist in sound and voice, such as STP and Creed do on this CD. Don't et me wrong, the tunes rock, but they lack that little something extra. This CD really proves the greatness of Jim, Ray, John and Robbie. The music can't really be improved on, and Jim's range and inflections in his voice are hard to match. Just compare The Cults Ian doing a good job handling Wild Child, but failing on Touch Me. He can't sing tenderness and wild abandon the way Jim could. There was always a raw passion in Jim's voice, as well as a tender weakness - and he always used it to perfection. I wish a few more of the lesser known Doors songs would have been covered, instead of just the over-played ones like The End, Break on Through and LA Woman. My Christmas wish is for Stoned 2 to come out with covers of Love Street (maybe Red Hot Chili Peppers), When the Music's Over (Metallica) and Waiting for the Sun (Pearl Jam).